I'm not sure why blogging in November was such a struggle for me, but I've already drafted and scheduled three more posts for the next few weeks, so hopefully this month will be a little more content heavy. I suppose the lack of posts is good prep for the arrival of baby girl Fraase though. We arrived in Brooklyn on July 10, so with our five-month anniversary just days away, I wanted to share my current thoughts on life as a New Yorker. Manhattan itself still feels a bit overwhelming, though I enjoy exploring its streets by foot, trying new restaurants, and zipping around the city on the subway. Brooklyn, on the other hand, I'm totally smitten with.

Coney Island Beach

Brooklyn Museum of Art

I think Prospect Park is what really started the love affair. During the warmer summer months, I took daily walks through the park and brought picnic lunches and a book to a few various favorite spots almost every other day. Once my in-laws brought Aurora out, she and I got into a daily walk routine through the park as well. We have a favorite loop around the sports fields we take, and early in the morning, they have off-leash hours. She runs around with her tongue out and greets every other dog with a tail wag, and Keith and I try not to get our legs swept out from under us by the packs of dogs chasing each other or their toy frisbees. With fall, the leaves changed colors and the park became even more breathtaking. I enjoy forming routines, and now that Aurora and I have a typical walking route, the park just makes Brooklyn feel even more familiar, like home.

Prospect Park

Park Slope in the fall was magical. The leaves were an array of colors, everyone goes all out for Halloween (see photos below as evidence) and the weather slowly became cooler. Fall is my favorite time of year, and so far, fall on the east coast may be in my top ten favorites overall. Park Slope has a Halloween parade with local shops and owners in costume, and even a few small floats, that pass down 7th Avenue right down the street from our apartment. There were huge swarms of children trick-or-treating and we ran out of candy in less than a hour. I can’t wait to dress up as a family of four (Aurora included) next Halloween!

Halloween in Park Slope

I'm much more familiar with Park Slope these days. We've found our favorite spot for a slice of pizza (just down the street), are members of the Park Slope Food Co-op (a small local grocer), have a favorite coffee shop just around the corner (they are even starting to recognize us), attended the neighborhood Christmas Tree Lighting this past weekend, have a Park Slope library card, and I've become pretty impressive with my "double parking" skills (google it). I still have a lot to learn about the rest of Brooklyn, but I've enjoyed dance shows at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), been shopping at Barclays Center, tried cheesecake in Fort Greene, fast-walked the 5-mile Brooklyn Turkey Trot through Prospect Park, had Danish food at a Dutch Seamen's Church Christmas Bizarre in Brooklyn Heights, and survived shopping at the giant IKEA in Red Hook. Somehow in just five months, Brooklyn has become home and it's strange to think back on when we first arrived and how unfamiliar everything felt.

This past weekend, some of my family visited for Thanksgiving and we spent an entire day exploring the city and enjoying all the lights and wintery decor. I can’t wait to see our neighborhood all decked out for the winter holidays and will definitely share more photos, along with our apartment Christmas decor, very soon! In the meantime, I've got posts scheduled over the next few weeks on tips for hosting guests in a tiny apartment, an update on how Aurora is adjusting to life as a New Yorker, and (*fingers crossed*) a plan to finally share photo updates and details on our "unicorn apartment" three months in. Check back soon!